A civil rights activist and scholar, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw is a pioneer in black feminist legal theory and critical race theory. Nearly three decades ago, she coined the term “intersectionality” to describe how related categories such as race, gender, and class overlap to create inequality on multiple levels. Since then, she has lectured around the world on matters of racism and sexism.

A leading voice in calling for a gender-inclusive approach to racial justice interventions, Crenshaw spearheaded the #SayHerName campaign, which shines a light on black women who have been subjected to police violence, and authored a report called Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected. She is also the founder and executive director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia Law School, and of the African American Policy Forum, a gender and racial justice legal think tank. In 2018, Crenshaw received the Celebrating Women award from the New York Women’s Foundation.